If you are quoting sources in an essay, it is important to correctly cite them so that you dont plagiarize. Most essays require sources to be cited in either the MLA or APA style. When quoting a source in your paper, the quote must be cited properly or you risk plagiarizing.
When citing an author directly in the text of your essay, use the authors last name followed by the page number of the source in parentheses. For example, you could say According to Smith (25) or Smith (25) states that. Be sure to include the page number if you are citing a direct quote. If you are paraphrasing an idea from a source, the page number does not need to be included.
If the authors last name is mentioned in the sentence, you dont need to include it again in the parentheses. For example, you could say Smith states that (25). If you are citing multiple sources by the same author, include a shortened version of the title of the work instead of the authors name.
When including a direct quote in your essay, put quotation marks around it and include the page number. For example, you could say In her book, Smith states that quoting sources is important when writing an essay (25). Be sure to include any necessary punctuation within the quotation marks.
Finally, all quotes should be followed by an entry in the works cited section of your essay. This should include all relevant information about the source such as the authors name and the title of the work. Be sure to include this information so that readers can find the source if they want to read more. Quoting sources correctly is an important part of writing an essay, so make sure to take the time to do it correctly.